Thanks to international outcry and vigorous campaigning by a coalition of animal welfare organizations including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), five baby elephants caught from the wild and destined for a life-time of misery in zoos and wildlife parks in China, were returned to their wilderness home in Zimbabwe.

Although, these calves weren’t able to be united with their own families, amazingly they were adopted by another elephant family. This almost ensures that these young elephants will survive under the protection of other adult females in the herd, guided by the wisdom of the matriarch. These five lucky elephants start their rehabilitation back into the wild at Umfurudzi Park in Zimbabwe. I am writing this with bittersweet emotions. While these five elephants were spared a life of misery, isolation and despair in China, I am keenly aware there will be attempts to catch more elephants to supply zoos and safari parks in the Far East. More....